Northern Spanish High Speed line Llers-Figueres-Perpignan (LFP) has evo-rail’s rail-5G technology after the British company signed a contract to provide Spanish Infrastructure provider COMSA with the track-to-train rail 5g solution
After a trial, which the company has said went far better than expected and proved that rail-5G was viable, it will now be rolled out on a stretch of the Perpignan – Barcelona high speed line. The technology uses mmWave technology and non-conductive composite trackside antenna mounting system, which meant that the delivery cycle was trimmed down to weeks rather than months.
The infrastructure trackside comprises of a series of catenary-mounted composite poles fitted with bi-directional antennae that connect to similar antennae fitted to the front and rear of the train. This unique approach ensures there are two independent links to each train most of the time. This guarantees 100% coverage and a gigabit, or more, of broadband throughput.
Rail-5g then applies a technique called beamforming which means rail-5G can cover long ranges despite applying ultra-high frequencies.
evo-rail which is part of the First Group began deploying the 5G technology across South Western Railway’s fleet with 200 trains already installed. It will be providing the technology across the busiest sections of the SWR network through the rest of 2023.
Richard Graham, chief engineer, evo-rail, said: “The results from our trial over the past 18 months have been exceptional. Our patented composite catenary-mounted poles allowed us to deploy in weeks rather than months and years whilst guaranteeing continuous connectivity at the fastest internet speeds seen anywhere in the world.
We’re delighted to be continuing to deliver this revolutionary technology in support of COMSA and eventually Spanish customers.”
Simon Holmes, managing director, evo-rail, said: “We are delighted to be working with COMSA to bring our solution to mainland Europe. This deployment is a great example of how effective rail-5G can be while proving the deployment of our revolutionary composites pole that speed deployment and enhance rail safety.
Rail-5G will delight customers who can rely on uninterrupted throughputs like home or work. This will enable passengers to enjoy a range of activities on their mobiles, laptops or tablets and create the flexibility for people to use their journey as part of the working day or as part of the leisure experience.”
Photo Credit: Istock
